233 



is employed to look after the engine and the paddy-husking 

 machine, it is best to employ a set of 4 or 5 machines driven 

 by a 16 H.P. steam engine furnished with a boiler. The cost 

 of a single huller is Rs. 1,100, of a separating fan or winnower 

 for taking out the dirt, sticks, straw and stones from the paddy, 

 Rs. 125; and of a grader for separating rice ot different sizes, 

 Rs. 100. A 12 H.P. (nominal) engine (which usually gener- 

 ates 15 to 1 6 indicated H.P.) can be bought in Calcutta 

 for about Rs. 5,000, and 4 sets of huller would cost Rs. 4,400. 

 Thus for about Rs. 10,000 the whole plant (exclusive of 

 buildings) can be set up. 



300. The cost of working the engine will consist of, 

 (i) the price of coal used, (2) the wages of the mechanic 

 and an attendant to the hullers and (3) price of oil used 

 for lubricating the engine and huller. If there is a well 

 or tank near at hand there should not be any extra ex- 

 pense in keeping the boiler supplied with water. The 

 expenditure of coal used may be put down at 4 Ibs. per 

 H. P. per hour, which for a 16 H. P. engine working for 

 9 hours a day, is equal to 4 x 16 x 9 = 576 Ibs. or about 7 

 maunds costing about Rs. 2-8. The wages of the mechanic 

 may be put down at Re. i a day, and of the attendant at 

 5 annas a day. Inclusive of oil the daily cost will thus come 

 about Rs. 4. Interest and depreciation at 10% calculated 

 on the capital of Rs. 10,000 will come to another Rs. 5 per 

 day, if the work of the machine is distributed over 200 

 days in the year. The outturn per hour from 4 sets of 

 hullers being 1200 Ibs., daily, 10,800, or say, 10,000 Ibs. of 

 clean rice can be obtained. So the cost comes to less than a 

 Rupee for every 1000 Ibs. (about 12 mnds.) of cleaned rice 

 turned out. This is at least four times cheaper than the rate 

 at which paddy-husking can be done with the ordinary native 

 appliances. 



301. The Engelberg Rice Huller and Polisher No. 3 the 

 cost of which at Syracuse, New York, U. S. A., is $150 (say 



DD 



